Writing invoices are simple to lay out and easy to get wrong in two specific ways: pricing that hides how much work a piece actually took, and a fee that accidentally hands over every right to the work forever. Both are fixable in a line or two.
Price in the unit that reflects the effort
Per word. Standard for publications with a set length and a rate card. Show the word count and the rate: "1,800 words at £0.30". Clean, but it undervalues work where the writing is fast and the reporting is slow.
Per article or per piece. A flat fee for a defined deliverable — a blog post, a case study, a newsletter edition. Best when research, interviews, and revisions are the real work. You can still note the target length.
Per project. One fee for a body of work — a content series, a report, a set of landing pages — often billed in stages. Define what a stage is and what completion means.
Whatever the unit, set a minimum fee so a 300-word job is still worth invoicing, and put a rush surcharge in your terms for turnarounds inside a day or two.
Say what rights the fee buys
This is the line most writers forget, and it costs them later. A fee is payment for a specific licence, not for the words themselves. Spell it out: first serial rights, one-time use, a twelve-month licence, or a full buyout where the client owns everything. If you retain rights, say so — "all other rights remain with the author" — so you are free to resell or republish the piece. A client who later syndicates your article to three other outlets has either bought that right or not, and the invoice is where that was recorded.
Put the kill fee in writing
Commissions get cancelled: a section gets cut, an editor leaves, priorities change. A kill fee covers the work you did on a piece that will not run. Agree the percentage when you accept the commission — 25% to 50% of the full fee is normal — and if it is triggered, invoice it as one line that names the piece and the stage it was killed at: "Kill fee — 'Profile of X', cancelled after first draft (50% of £600)".
Bill on acceptance, not publication
Your invoice date should follow the client accepting your final draft. Tying payment to the publication date makes you wait on a schedule you do not control, and leaves you unpaid if the piece is shelved. If a contract insists on payment-on-publication, negotiate a backstop date after which you invoice regardless.
Only bill the extras
If your fee already assumes a reasonable amount of research and two rounds of edits, do not itemise those. Bill what goes beyond the brief: extra interviews, a rewrite after the angle changed, edit rounds past the agreed number, or image-sourcing you were not expecting. Each gets its own line at a rate you have stated.
If you are registered for VAT, add it to your fees at the standard rate and show your number on the invoice; whether you need to register in the first place is a question for an accountant, not this guide.
Before you send
- Your name, address, and tax number if you have one
- The publication or client entity and a billing contact
- A unique invoice number and both dates
- The fee in its unit: word count and rate, piece fee, or project stage
- A rights line stating exactly what licence the fee grants
- Any kill fee as a single line naming the piece and stage
- Extras beyond the brief itemised separately
- Payment terms and any rush surcharge
Set your rate and rights above and download the PDF. A free NeatDue account keeps your commissioning editors on file and numbers each invoice for you.